Environmental Health Ch 8

Front 1

There are 2 different types of radiation what are they?

Back 1

Ionizing and non-ionizing

ionizing radiation: has enough energy to remove tightly bound electrons from atoms, thus creating ions. This is the type of radiation that people usually think of as radiation. We take advantage of its properties to generate electric power, to kill cancer cells, and in many manufacturing processes.

non-ionizing radiation: refers to radiation that has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to vibrate but not enough to remove the electrons. Examples of this kind every ideation are soundwaves, visible light, and microwaves.

Front 2

Ionizing radiations properties are used to?

Back 2

generate electric power, to kill cancer cells, and in many manufacturing processes.

Front 3

What is Dose equivalent?

Back 3

obtained by weighting the absorbed dose in an organ or tissue by a radiation weighting factor that reflects the biological effectiveness of the charged particles that produce ionization within the tissue.

Front 4

Curie (Ci)

Back 4

a unit of measure used to describe the amount of radioactivity in a sample of material.

Front 5

More curies=

Back 5

a greater amount of radioactivity.

the size or weight of a container or shipment does not indicate how much radioactivity is in it. The amount of radioactivity in a quantity of material can be determined by noting how many curies of the material are present. This information should be found on labels and worshiping papers.

A large amount of material can have a very small amount of radioactivity; a very small amount of material can have a lot of radioactivity.

Front 6

Factors that affect the amount of radiation exposure

Back 6

The total amount of time exposed to the radioactive source: exposure

Distance from the radioactive source: the further the distance the better it is.

Degree of radioactivity ( rate of energy emission) of a radioactive material.

Front 7

Stochastic Effects:

Back 7

the term Stochastic Means that there is an increased probability of the occurrence of an adverse health event.

Front 8

Hormesis:

Back 8

refers to the belief that some non-nutritional toxic substances also may impart beneficial or stimulatory effects at low doses, but at a higher dose they produce adverse effects.

Front 9

20% of lung cancers are caused by this inert, colorless, and extremely toxic gas:

Back 9

Radon. 20% of lung cancers are caused by radon, more so for people in the mining industries.

Front 10

Nuclear facilities and accidents: the major consequence of the 3 mile Island accident was that?

Back 10

no new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States since 1979.

Front 11

Other potential sources for exposure of the population to ionizing radiation are nuclear facilities, which include weapons production plants, test sites, and nuclear power plants such as

Back 11

the nuclear power plant on the Susquehanna River 3 mile Island, Pennsylvania, which was the location of an accidental release of radiation into the environment on March 28, 1979. The 3 mile Island accident involved a series of mechanical failures and mistakes that led to the accidental release of radiation into the environment when the core of the reactor experienced a partial meltdown.

Front 12

In contrast to the 3 mile Island release, the nuclear power plant accident at Chernobyl, Ukraine, on April 26, 1986 was a major public health disaster that exposed

Back 12

a large portion of the European population to ionizing radiation. One consequence of the disaster was to call into question the safety of older nuclear reactors that use a similar design and are operating and Eastern Europe.

Front 13

Medical uses of ionizing radiation

Back 13

about 40% of radiation exposure has been attributed to medical exposure. Medical procedures include the use of x-ray machines, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy.Elderlyare the ones that are exposed to the highest level of radiation due to medicalprocedures. Over the age of 40.

Front 14

What population is exposed to the highest level of radiation due to medical procedures?

Back 14

Elderly people are the ones that are exposed to the highest level radiation due to medical procedures. Over the age of 40.

Front 15

Thereis one particular type of radiation that penetrates more deeply into the body

Back 15

Microwave Radiation

Front 16

what does ELF stand for?

Back 16

extremely low frequency ELF, radiation does not appear to produce many discernible short-term health affects. radiation is of the type in the range of 50 to 60 Hz that originates from electric power poles, wiring in the walls of buildings, and some electrical appliances.

Front 17

UVR=

Back 17

ultraviolet radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation in the optical range. Sources of UVR include welders arcs, lamps used for tanning beds, some flood lamps used in photography, halogen desk lamps, lightning, and electrical sparks. However, one of the most common sources of exposure to ultraviolet radiation is sunbathing, which is regarded as a popular and helpful house time by many residents of sunny climates, for example California and Florida.

Front 18

UVR coming from the sun is subdivided into

Back 18

UVA, UVB, and UVC, depending upon the wavelength of the light.

Front 19

Of the 3 forms of UVR which is considered to be the form that is most harmful to human health?

Back 19

UVB is considered to be the most harmful to human health because it is the most active in producing short-term and long-term adverse health effects.

Front 20

Another adverse long-term health effects attributed to UVR exposure is skin cancer. These types of skin cancers are

Back 20

squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

basal cell carcinoma (BCC)

and malignant melanoma (MM).

The 2 forms of nonmelanomatous skin cancer- squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma account for about 40% of all cancers in the United States. Malignant melanoma is the most serious and potentially fatal form of skin cancer.